


Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner

by Pollydoodles



Series: A Small Slice of Life [3]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-06
Updated: 2016-03-06
Packaged: 2018-05-25 00:01:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6172024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pollydoodles/pseuds/Pollydoodles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“But … Why?”</p><p>“I don’t know. It seemed like a good idea at the time. I was drunk. It’s on my bucket list. I lost a bet. I lost my mind – take your pick, Rogers, could be any of them.” Darcy mumbled, voice muffled as she neglected to raise her head from her folded arms resting on the kitchen counter dejectedly. </p><p>“Well … Yeah … But …”</p><p>“What, Steve?” Darcy snapped, and instantly regretted it. </p><p>“You hate running.”</p><p>“Believe me, I know.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner

“But … Why?”

“I don’t know. It seemed like a good idea at the time. I was drunk. It’s on my bucket list. I lost a bet. I lost my mind – take your pick, Rogers, could be any of them.” Darcy mumbled, voice muffled as she neglected to raise her head from her folded arms resting on the kitchen counter dejectedly. 

“Well … Yeah … But …”

“What, Steve?” Darcy snapped, and instantly regretted it. 

“You hate running.”

“Believe me, I know.” 

Darcy had, for reasons even she couldn’t comprehend, signed up for a half-marathon. It was, at least, for charity, and this consoled her somewhat. Darcy was an avid believer that charity not only began at home but should not be easy. All these people, she’d say, all these people who go off and trek the Great Wall of China or climb a mountain or something – you shouldn’t enjoy it! You should suffer for your sponsorship. She believed firmly that an act of charity could not be in any way pleasurable. 

“And trust me,” She finished, after giving her mini-speech to Pepper over coffee. “This will not be pleasurable.” 

“I think you have issues.” Pepper said flatly. “But Stark Industries will sponsor you none the less.” 

Darcy beamed. Her chosen charity was, to the surprise of none and the delight of Bucky, a dog shelter in Brooklyn. They were a no-kill shelter, but struggled with the number of abandoned dogs at times, especially over the holidays. A decent sponsorship from Stark Industries would have a huge impact for them. 

It was almost worth the exercise, she thought. 

Days later, as Steve dragged her into the gym, she had to revise that opinion. 

“Darcy, honestly, it’s really important to train. You can’t just turn up and do this.” He said seriously, blond hair falling across his forehead as he nodded emphatically at her. “It’s 13 miles.”

“13.1 miles.” She corrected morosely. 

“Then that is point one more of a reason.” He said firmly, taking her by the shoulders and pushing her towards the treadmill. “Just jog on that for ten minutes, then we can switch it up with some weight training.”

She spun to face him, somehow twisting in his arms despite his hands guiding her shoulders and the thought crossed his mind that she’d picked up entirely too much from Bucky. “Weight training?” She squeaked. “I’m running, Steve! Not doing clean and jerk for the Olympics.” 

“It’ll help. Trust me.” He promised, spinning her as he spoke and walking her bodily onto the treadmill. 

Hours later – and she couldn’t quite believe, mind point blank refused to register, that he’d had her at it for as much as an hour, let alone multiples thereof – she collapsed, groaning, onto the common room couch. Too weary to even peel herself out of her gym clothes and head for the shower, she dropped bodily onto the cushions and sighed dramatically. 

Bucky followed her, dropping by the side of the couch and Lucky, as ever, trailing behind him. The man rested one hand against Darcy’s outstretched and sweaty forearm and the other gathered the Labrador to his side. Lucky was only too happy to be pulled into his embrace, and panted hard, his pink tongue flopping from his mouth lazily as he contemplated licking Bucky’s stubble-ridden chin. 

“I’m going to die.” Darcy announced dramatically, flinging her free hand over her forehead. Bucky laughed, and she rolled onto her side to look at him, not without some sharp pain jabbing up through her muscles as she did so. It was worth it though to see him laugh, head thrown back and the weight of just being himself every day washed away. 

Her fingers tangled in his messily, and she squeezed lightly, enjoying the feel of his skin against hers. 

“I will.” She insisted. “I’ll just die, right here on this couch, drenched in my own sweat and tears.” 

“Running’s okay.” Bucky said, his deep blue eyes raking over her, and Darcy shivered slightly to herself. Under Bucky’s searching eyes it was as though she wasn’t collapsed in a hot mess, ill-fitting gym clothes stuck uncomfortably in places she’d rather nothing ever stuck to, sweat making her skin sticky and leaving her feeling decidedly unclean. He looked at her as though she was the point around which his world revolved. 

“It’s exercise.” She said, rolling her head back and sighing at the ache that flooded her body as she moved. “And you know how I feel about exercise.” She followed up darkly. He did. They all did. It was no secret that Darcy would much rather keep her figure by eating less and crashing on the sofa than eat whatever she liked and burn it off by getting physical. 

A comfortable moment passed between them, fingers still laced together, and the silence broken only by Darcy’s heavy breathing slowly returning to normal. 

“He won’t let this be the last of it, will he?”

“Nope.” Bucky agreed. 

*****

Darcy was yanked unpleasantly from a particularly nice dream by bright light searing across her face. She squinted, body protesting that it would much rather still be asleep, thank you very much – and Darcy whole heartedly agreed with it. 

“Steve, what the hell?”

“Up, Darcy.” He said, pulling back the covers and she grimaced and drew her knees up to her chest, shivering as the cool morning air hit her. “Training.”

“You have got to be kidding me, Rogers.” She snatched back the duvet and drew it over herself again, wriggling down into it until just her eyes peeped over the edge, regarding him with a certain amount of distaste and suspicion. 

“It’s not that early, Darcy.” He said, folding his arms over his chest and staring down at her, a patient look on his face. 

“Dude, it’s pre 12pm on a Saturday and, as I’m under 30, I intend to stay in bed until at least one of those facts changes.” She sniped back, and dug her toes into the mattress, glaring up at him defiantly. “Not overly bothered which one.”

“Negative, recruit.” Steve leaned down and scooped her up, duvet and all. She squeaked and wriggled but he just held her tighter to his chest, the duvet tumbled and swathed around her body like a cocoon. “You have two options right now, Darcy. Either, you play ball and when I put you down you get changed into running gear or I’m gonna take you outside as you are and you can run with me in your pyjamas. Your choice.”

There was a pause. 

“You are not a nice man, Rogers.” Said the duvet. 

He waited. 

“Fine!” 

He smiled and deposited her gently back on the mattress. “Five minutes. Outside the tower.” He pointed an index finger at her as he spoke, Darcy fought to wriggle free of the covers, her dark hair tangled and wild around her face. He got a different finger back as a reward, and chuckled. 

“It’s not like I can keep up with you.” She grumbled, finally managing extracting herself from the mess of material and getting to her feet with a sigh, hands on hips. Her t-shirt was rumpled and her shorts askew, the brightly coloured logo splashed across her chest declaring that it was hammer time. A cartoon version of Thor wielded his cartoon hammer aloft in primary colours. 

“I know.” He said, pausing at the door to look back at her. “That’s why Sam’s coming along.”

“Oh, so now you’re bringing witnesses to my humiliation?” She hollered after him, and he grinned whilst ducking the pillow she aimed at his head with surprising accuracy. 

*****

Bent at the waist and panting hard, seriously considering that she might throw up right there on the sidewalk, Darcy fought to get control back of her own body. Sucking in a few more deep breaths, she forced back down the nauseous feeling and righted herself. 

Sam looped back and pulled up at her side, still jogging on the spot as he regarded her. 

“You know,” she puffed. “It’s not funny when he does it to you, so I don’t know why you think it’s cute to do it to me.” 

Sam grinned at her. 

“I do my running with Rogers and Barnes, sweetheart. If I get the opportunity to lap someone, I’m taking it.”

Darcy fixed him with a dark look and contemplated pushing him over, wiping the smug smirk off his face, but couldn’t find the energy in her body to do it. 

“Come on, slow coaches. No napping on the job.” Steve shouted as he raced past them both. 

“See?” Darcy said, pointing after the disappearing figure. “Not funny.”

*****

Race day arrived, and Darcy took her place at the back, shaking out her legs and arms nervously. Steve had waved her off with a bright smile and an over-enthusiastic grin on his face, promising her that they’d all be there to cheer her over the finish line. 

“You think I’ll make it to the finish line?” She said, amazed.

“Of course, Darcy.” He’d replied, looking confused as to why she’d asked it. Darcy shook her head. Steve wasn’t the type of man to be able to comprehend failure. She could feel a sick swirl beginning in the base of her stomach and closed her eyes, breathing hard. Steve, not seeming to notice, clapped her on the back, knocking her forward slightly. “See you at the other end.” He said cheerfully. 

Darcy forgot to wave him goodbye, so preoccupied was she with the uncomfortable churning motion her body was making. 

*****

“You got the GPS tracker on her, right?” Jane asked urgently as Steve joined her at the side line. Bucky looked over at him expectantly, hanging onto Lucky’s lead as the Labrador strained at the end of it, desperate to get to Darcy. 

“Yeah, both of ‘em.” Steve answered. “One on her back and one in her iPod case; but the timing chip in her sneaker is a tracker too so we’re covered even if she loses or breaks one.” 

Jane nodded and pulled out her tablet, checking the sync on Darcy’s trackers. Stark had put together the two Steve had sneaked onto her, and the timing chip had come from the organisers of the race. She tapped quickly, bringing them up on the screen. 

“Okay,” Jane said slowly, eyes trained on the tablet. “As I expected, the timing chip is lagging behind slightly in its updates, so let’s hope she doesn’t lose the Stark ones because they’re way more accurate.” She said, staring at the data on the screen. 

“Of course they’re more accurate, Foster, what do you take me for?” Stark appeared at her shoulder and she barely glanced at him, her eyes roving anxiously over the tablet screen. “Jeez, kid – the race hasn’t even started yet. If you look up from that thing you can still see her.” Jane frowned and moved away from the dark-haired man. 

*****

Darcy shook herself yet again, hoping that moving would push away the horrible twisting feeling in her gut, the anticipation of the unknown. Next to her, a guy smiled. “First time?”

“Huh?” She said, distractedly. 

“First half-marathon?” The man said gently.

“Oh, uh yeah.” Her mouth twisted into a vague semblance of a smile in return. “And last.”

He laughed. “Ah, you can’t say that until you’ve finished it. You could be hooked by the end of this!”

“I damn well won’t be.” Darcy muttered under her breath, filing him under ‘overly-enthusiastic sports-guy’ in her head. He should hook up with Steve, she thought darkly. Bet they’d both love to get up at the ass-crack of dawn and do exercise. Whilst smiling. 

“Good luck!” Sports-Guy said encouragingly, and disappeared. Darcy groaned. The countdown on the large screen to her left indicated that in just two short minutes, she’d be having to put her metaphorical money had put her very literal mouth was. She took a shaky breath inwards, and noticed that Sports-Guy’s place had been filled by a dude pushing a lady in a wheelchair. With a fridge strapped to his back. Darcy looked at him in awe. 

“Well at least I won’t be the literal last person over this damn finish line.” She said quietly to herself. 

***** 

“Where is she?” Bucky demanded, nudging Steve aside firmly and peering over Jane’s shoulder. She angled the tablet screen up towards him so he could trace the small blue dot against the track, stubbornly fixed in the same spot it had been five minutes previous. “Why isn’t she moving?” Steve and Jane exchanged glances. 

“She’s probably having a rest, Bucky.” Jane said.   
“She might have stopped for a toilet break?” Offered Steve. 

Bucky scowled. 

“Oh no, look – she’s moving again.” Jane exclaimed, relief colouring her voice as she spoke, finger tapping at the blue dot which had finally moved on. Bucky lifted the tablet from her instantly, bringing so close to his face for inspection that his nose was almost touching the screen. 

Steve mouthed an apology to Jane on Bucky’s behalf, but she waved him away. She knew that Bucky cared for Darcy, even if he wasn’t really able to articulate it the way others might be able to describe what he felt. She’d become quite fond of Darcy’s dark-haired shadow. It would have been awkward if she hadn’t – he usually trailed after her wherever she went, which often found him in the lab. Truth be told, Jane had actually found him quite useful. Quiet though he was, he picked things up quickly. 

If anything, he was more useful than Darcy at times, though Jane would never breathe those words out loud. 

“Hey,” said Steve, looking around. “Where’s the dog?”

*****

Darcy couldn’t feel her legs. 

She literally could not feel her legs, from the hip down. They were still moving, still pumping away up and down and carrying her over the tarmac, but she couldn’t actually feel them. Darcy guessed that was probably a good thing for the moment, although her mind was flicking ahead to tomorrow morning when she’d undoubtedly wake to pain and stiffness and an unending ache. 

She was aware that she was moving barely faster than walking pace, and was glad that Steve and the rest of them had agreed to wait at the end rather than greet her at the various cheering sections. She really didn’t need two super soldiers and even regularly-fit Sam to critique her running style and speed. She huffed to herself, and the iPod flipped to another song about running. 

“I should never have let Barton choose these songs.” She groaned, as The Proclaimers’ 500 Miles came on for the fifth time. 

Checking her watch and wiping sweat from her forehead with the back of her other hand, she was cheered by a small group of people as she rounded a corner. Tiredly she waved at them and one of the kids, a small blonde girl who looked to be about eight, excitedly held out a hand for a high-five. Darcy forced a smile onto her face and slapped her hand as she ran past, earning herself a delighted grin from the little girl. 

Looking up, Darcy felt her heart leap as the big orange marker proclaimed that she was at mile thirteen. 

“Just point one of a mile, Darce.” She said to herself, and tripped over her feet slightly as she did so, too tired to pick them up properly. She stumbled to one side and held onto the barrier, promising herself just a quick break to catch her breath. She leaned forward, stretching her back as she did so, and closed her eyes. 

A wet nose forced its way into her hand and she jerked back despite herself.

“Lucky?”

*****

“I swear he was just here.” Jane said, staring up at Steve, whose blue eyes were wide gazing back at her. He forced down the rising panic in his throat and tried to think. He’d definitely been there at the start of the race, and the end zone wasn’t actually that far away, because the circuit looped back around on itself. 

Stark had only hung around for a bit, and Lucky wouldn’t have gone with him, nor would Tony have thought to take the dog. It was possible, maybe, that Lucky had headed home for Barton, but he seemed much more attached to Bucky these days and Bucky had had hold of him anyway…

“Bucky.”

“What about Bucky?” Jane said, confused, half of her attention on Steve and the other half trained on the tablet where Darcy’s blue dot had stopped again. 

“I mean,” He said. “Where’s Bucky?”

*****

“What are you doing here?” Darcy said, her mind not being on point enough to register why or how Lucky was suddenly jumping all over her and licking any bare skin he could reach. He barked, excited, and ran off ahead of her a little way before turning back and barking again. He repeated the action three times as she watched him. 

“Okay, okay, I’m coming.” She grumbled, and spurred her tired legs into action once more. 

They ran on, Lucky keeping slightly ahead of Darcy but constantly flipping his head back as if checking on her. Her iPod was now blaring Bruce Springsteen’s Born to Run, which was at least an improvement on the last song. She could feel her heart thumping madly against her chest, but pushed on anyway, thinking delicious thoughts about hot baths and a warm bed to sink into and not emerge from until at least Sunday. 

She was so focused on keeping her legs moving and her arms pumping that she didn’t notice that she’d been joined by another runner, keeping an easy pace at her side. Darcy frowned as the road turned into the path of the sun and suddenly she found herself with a shadow cast across her face. Slowly slightly, she turned her head to the right and caught a glimpse of her new running partner. 

“Bucky?” She exclaimed, and he smiled, a big broad smile that turned up both corners of his mouth until she thought they’d reach his eyes. He was barely jogging, keeping pace with her easily. She noticed that he hadn’t even broken a sweat, despite wearing a fleecy jacket and thick sweatpants. Unfair, she thought. But then again – super serum. 

She could finally see the finish line in sight, and heaved a huge sigh of relief as the bright orange banner waved inviting in the sunshine, getting ever bigger as she got closer and closer to it. Darcy could feel tears pricking at the corners of her eyes, and blinked madly to try and quash that. She really didn’t want to be the idiot girl who collapsed in tears at the end. Maybe if she’d been in the first five to cross the line, but as the dude with the fridge had actually already passed her, she didn’t think she was really deserving of such dramatic behaviour. 

Ahead of them, Lucky passed the finish line, tail wagging wildly from side to side, and he turned on a dime barking his head off as he did so, jumping all over the place as Darcy and Bucky crossed the line too. She sank to her knees and Lucky bounced over her, slobbering over her face and thumping into her shoulder with his chest. She laughed, half-sobbing into his fur as she grabbed hold of him and clung on. 

Bucky put his arms around her and hauled her upwards and towards a woman who was looking slightly concerned and holding a medal. “I- I don’t have- Are you part of the race, sir?” She stuttered, addressing Bucky and looking over at the dog with concern. 

“No.” Bucky said, and plucked the medal from her hands. He tugged Darcy’s chin up gently to look at him, and dropped it gently over her head, pausing afterwards to brush away straggly strands of sweat-drenched hair stuck in what she was certain was a very attractive manner to her forehead. 

She smiled at him weakly, and her legs buckled under her. He looped an arm around her waist and pulled her to him, gazing down at her with big blue eyes. Darcy could see herself reflected in them, and couldn’t remember a time when she’d looked more of a hot mess. Ugh, just how I want you to see me, she thought to herself despairingly. Bucky smiled again and his grip around her wait tightened. 

“Oh my god, Darcy!” Jane’s concerned voice interrupted Darcy’s thoughts and she pulled back from Bucky a little, although he still kept his arm firmly around her. She was grateful for that, for many reasons but not least of which from the most practical which was that he was pretty much keeping her upright. 

Steve hove into view behind Jane, who looked relieved as she spotted Darcy, Bucky and the dog, who had finally worked the excitement out of his system and was lying in a comfortable heap at Bucky’s feet. 

“Hey, Darce, how was it?” Steve asked, stepping around Jane and lifting up the medal that was slung around her neck. 

“The worst thing I’ve ever done in my entire life. And I got beaten by Lucky.” She answered weakly. “Is there ice cream? I’m pretty sure I remember you promising ice cream at one point.” 

Steve chuckled and dropped the medal back into place. “Yeah, we got ice cream for you, back at the tower.”

Jane stepped forward and threw her arms around Darcy, inadvertently capturing Bucky in her hug as well, as he’d not made any move to step away from the brunette girl. She squeezed tight and whispered her congratulations into Darcy’s ear over and over again. “I’m so proud of you, Darce. I really am.”

“That’s cool. Can we just go home though? I’m about to die on my feet here.” Darcy said, not ungratefully. “Sorry, I just – I think I might have already died, and this is just my re-animated corpse.” 

Bucky’s grip tightened on her again, and she found herself swung up into his arms. A small part of her protested that she was sweaty, disgustingly so, and probably smelled like she hadn’t showered for a week. A much larger, more tired part of her, couldn’t give a rats ass so long as she didn’t have to rely on self-propulsion to get home. 

“I’ll bring the car ‘round.” Steve promised, and promptly disappeared. Jane squeezed Darcy’s ankle before murmuring something about directing Steve to the right place and melting away. Darcy let her head fall against Bucky’s shoulder, and let her eyes drift shut. Before she completely lost herself to the welcoming darkness of sleep, she thought she felt a light kiss of warm lips pressed to her forehead.


End file.
